SBI is Turning Some Branch Staff Into Salespeople; CS Setty Explains Why

State Bank of India has announced plans to redeploy part of its branch workforce into sales and upselling roles as digital banking continues to transform customer behavior across India. The country’s largest lender said a growing share of routine banking transactions is now being completed through online and mobile platforms, reducing dependence on physical branches for traditional services. The shift reflects broader changes underway in the banking sector as financial institutions increasingly adapt operations to digital-first customer habits.

Speaking during the bank’s post-results earnings call earlier this month, SBI Chairman CS Setty said many transactions have moved to alternate digital channels, creating opportunities to reposition branch staff toward customer engagement and product sales. According to Setty, the bank is now training employees at the branch level to focus more on relationship management, cross-selling, and helping customers access a wider range of financial products through the SBI ecosystem.

The bank highlighted rapid growth in its digital banking platform Yono as evidence of this transition. SBI said nearly 66 percent of new savings accounts opened during FY26 originated through Yono, underlining how customers are increasingly comfortable onboarding digitally. The lender also stated that the latest version of the platform crossed four crore registrations within just three months of launch, taking Yono’s overall user base to nearly 10 crore customers nationwide.

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SBI executives indicated that the role of physical branches is gradually evolving from transaction centers into relationship and advisory hubs. Setty noted that customers are no longer using banks only for deposits or loans but are increasingly purchasing multiple financial products, including insurance, investment products, and transaction banking services. He said the bank currently averages around three products per customer and aims to increase that figure to five over time through deeper engagement and targeted cross-selling efforts.

The bank added that it is monitoring customer engagement more closely at district and branch levels as part of its strategy to expand market share and improve product penetration. Transaction banking services, current accounts, mutual funds, insurance offerings, and lending products are all expected to become part of a more relationship-driven banking model. SBI believes this approach can help improve customer retention while also increasing revenue opportunities in a competitive financial sector increasingly shaped by digital ecosystems.

Setty also referred to the bank’s broader operational simplification program, Project Saral, which aims to streamline customer journeys and reduce process complexity across the organization. According to SBI, the initiative is designed to free up operational capacity within the banking system, allowing employees to spend more time on customer relationships and business development instead of handling routine transactions. The transformation highlights how India’s banking industry is redefining the role of branch networks as digital adoption accelerates across urban and rural markets alike.

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